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PAN Welcomes Listing of Pesticides under the Rotterdam Convention
Press Release | 6th May 2017
Pesticide Action Network (PAN) welcomes the positive outcomes and discussions at the 8th Conference of Parties (COPS) to the Rotterdam Convention that held from 24 April to 5 May 2017.
In particular, we are pleased that two pesticides, carbofuran and trichlorfon, were listed under the Rotterdam Convention. Carbofuran has caused many poisonings of both people and wildlife. Wpeste also welcome the serious discussion of gender issues, as the impact of chemicals on the health of women and children is too often ignored. Involving women in decision making and in programmes to reduce highly hazardous pesticides and to replace them with agroecology, is essential. We need policies to support women’s leadership in all levels and programmes to strengthen their capacity.
We welcome the recognition of the need to link human rights and sound management of chemicals and waste, and we would like to suggest that the next COPs has a paper on the implications of human rights on sound management of chemicals.
PAN is however, disappointed that we were excluded from important discussions on the effectiveness of the Rotterdam Convention. As CSOs, we have much to contribute in and we hope that CSOs will be included in the future work on this issue.
Moreover, we are very disappointed that paraquat dichloride and fenthion were not included in Annex 3 of Rotterdam Convention even though they met the criteria for the listing. Rotterdam facilitates information sharing and so we urge those countries who blocked their listing to go to fields and plantations and see the real impact of these pesticides on the health of workers, farmers and their communities and the environment and not just look at its narrow economic benefits.
Finally, in closing, we call on the Parties to the Conventions to respond positively to the request from The State of Palestine for assistance with the removal of banned pesticides and chemical waste, and with the implementation of sound management including monitoring and prevention of illegal traffic in chemicals and waste. In addition, a programme of monitoring and clean up is desperately needed.
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New report reveals shocking reality of paraquat dichloride retailing on India
Press Release | 8th April 2017
This report presents kind of practices being pursued in selling paraquat dichloride, a toxic chemical, in India. Data collected from the State of West Bengal shows that practices are casual and basic, violating Indian national laws as well as the International Code of Conduct on Pesticides Management.
This study has noted a range of issues with regard to the retailing of paraquat dichloride in West Bengal. It ranges from selling products not authorised by the manufacturers, absence of mandatory labelling on certain products, recommendations for the use of paraquat on crops not included in the CIB&RC directive, inadequate information on PPE on the label, PPE not given or sold at the retail points and farmers not advised of its requirement, to decanting and selling in refill or empty bottles and plastic carry bags, without labels or instruction leaflets. Additionally, label information is not provided in the local language and there were wide variations in the cost of various brands, raising concerns about quality. Retail sale of paraquat and related practices noted in West Bengal are in violation of the Indian Insecticides Act and Rules as well as the International Code of Conduct on Pesticides Management. Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee, the Central and State Agriculture Departments, manufacturers and retailers are responsible for enforcement of rules. However, these violations indicate lack of stringent regulation as well as monitoring and gross failure of the current regulatory mechanisms.
Illegal practices illustrated in the report reveal gross failure of the Indian pesticide regulatory system to rein in sellers and buyers. In a scenario of lax regulatory system and totally ignorant users, this report recommends immediate ban on the production, import, sale and use of paraquat dichloride in India, and adoption of non-chemical methods of weed management and agro-ecology.
Click to get the report
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Paraquat in India: too big a risk for farmers and workers
Press Release by PAN India, IUF, PAN Asia and the Pacific, Berne Declaration
Geneva, Penang, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Zürich | April 23, 2015
A new report published today Conditions of Paraquat use in India shows that the herbicide paraquat is widely used under high–risk conditions in India. The report finds that rules and recommendations for paraquat use are often ignored, that users don’t have the required information, nor do they have the means to protect themselves from exposure. All of this violates the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management.
The victims are farmers and workers who are suffering from numerous adverse health effects caused by paraquat. The report’s publishers are therefore calling for paraquat to be included on a list (under the Rotterdam Convention) which allows governments much more control over its importation. Such a listing, say the publishers, would support developing countries to make an informed decision on allowing or not the importation of paraquat.
“Conditions of Paraquat Use in India” published by the IUF, Pesticide Action Network (PAN)Asia and the Pacific, PAN India and the Berne Declaration, shows the shocking reality about the use of paraquat in India. This highly hazardous herbicide is already banned in many countries around the world, including African and Asian countries, the European Union, and Switzerland, the home country of Syngenta, the main producer of paraquat. Nevertheless, it is still one of the world’s most widely used herbicides, especially in developing countries, where its use leads to the poisoning of countless workers and farmers.
The data, collected across six states in India, revealed that:
• paraquat is sold in plastic carrying bags
• even when it is sold in proper containers, many users can’t read the labels
• contrary to recommended use instructions, users mix it with other ingredients
• users apply it with leaking knapsack sprayers and use it on crops that the herbicide is not approved for
• personal protective equipment is nearly non-existent
These practices increase exposure and the risk to human health. As a result, farmers and workers suffer from headaches, vomiting, burning sensations, breathing difficulty, muscle pain and/or abdominal discomfort. Chronic exposure can lead to lung, brain or skin damage.
Paraquat is being used on about 25 crops (in the study area) while the Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee (CIBRC) of India has approved its use on only nine crops. Furthermore, manufacturers of paraquat (including the main manufacturer Syngenta) have recommended its use on crops not approved by the CIBRC; this is in violation of the Indian Insecticides Act. The study also shows that the use of paraquat in India violates the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management; and under the Code manufacturers, distributors and relevant authorities have a duty to change this untenable situation.
From May 12-14, the delegates of the 154 parties to the Rotterdam Convention will meet in Geneva to vote on a proposal to list the most common paraquat formulation in Annex III of the Convention. The result of this study underlines the urgent need for such a listing, which will first of all facilitate information exchange about its characteristics, and help countries to make an informed decision about its importation. We call on all parties to support the listing, to give countries the possibility to act in a responsible manner, and to protect human health.
click to get the report
For more information:
C. Jayakumar, PAN India: Tel: +91 944 7016587; Email: jayakumar.c@gmail.com
Dr. Narasimha Reddy Tel: +919010205742; Email: nreddy.donthi@gmail.com
Sue Longley, IUF: Tel: +41 22 793 2233; Email: sue.longley@iuf.org
Sarojeni Rengam, PAN AP: Tel:+604 657 0271; Email: sarojeni.rengam@panap.net
François Meienberg, Berne Declaration: Tel: +41 44 277 70 04; Email: food@evb.ch
Recent Posts
Farming Community in Yavatmal came up with a Declaration to stop pesticide Menace on the World Soil Day and No Pesticide Use Week
December 7, 2018
Draft Pesticide Management Bill-2017 not comprehensive enough to address issues on pesticides in India
March 15, 2018
END CORPORATE GREED! RIGHTS NOW!
December 3, 2017
Untold Realities of Pesticide Poisonings in Yavatmal District in Maharashtra
October 28, 2017
Chemical leak in Delhi – PAN India urge to establish pesticide free buffer zones around schools
May 11, 2017
TagsAgroecology
AnupamVarma Commitee Report
Banned Pesticides
BAN Pesticides
BRS COPs 2017
Climate Change
Corporate Accountability
Corporate Libility
Delhi gas leack
Draft Banning of Pesticides Order 2016
Fact Finding Mission
Food Sovereignty
Glyphosate
Herbicide
HHP
HHPs
Indian Tea
India Pesticide Ban
India Pesticide Risk
Inhalational Poisonings
Maharashtra Association of Pesticide Poisonned Persons
No pesticide Use Day
Paraquat
Paraquat Retailing India
Paraquat Use is India
Pesticide Management Bill-2017
Pesticide Poisoning in Yavatmal
Pesticide Regulation
Phasing out HHPs
Plantation Pesticide
PMB-2017
Roundup
Tea Plantations
UN HRC Special Rapporteur on the right to food
World Soil Day
Yavatmal Declaration
Yavatmal poisoning